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King of Nowhere #1-5
King of Nowhere
Critically acclaimed creators W. Maxwell Prince (Ice Cream Man), Tyler Jenkins (Grass Kings), and Hilary Jenkins (Black Badge) present an unforgettable thriller that explores the miraculous, the mundane, and all the mysteries in between. In the wastelands of California, a lovable drunk named Denis awakens on the outskirts of an odd little village called Nowhere, home to a friendly populace of deformed, mutated, and just-left-of-normal citizens. Not knowing where he is or how he got there (or if the town is even real), Denis acquaints himself with the townsfolk -- but just when he starts to regain his memories, his past catches up with him... Collects King of Nowhere #1-5.
143 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2020
5 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
W. Maxwell Prince
108 books185 followersW. Maxwell Prince writes in Brooklyn and lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats called Mischief and Mayhem. He is the author of One Week in the Library, The Electric Sublime, and Judas: The Last Days. When not writing, he tries to render all of human experience in chart form.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
August 1, 2022
A drunken deadbeat named Dennis wakes up without his memories on the outskirts of the town of North Waherek, a.k.a. Nowhere, a seemingly off-the-grid town filled with mutated people. But before Dennis can even begin to regain his memories and settle into life in this new place, his past catches up with him and he finds himself wrapped up in a small-town conspiracy going back decades...
I liked this quite a bit. W. Maxwell Prince is another writer who is quickly becoming one of my favorites as he keeps putting out quality and inventive work. This one is no different as he teams with Tyler & Hilary Jenkins for his first independent comic not published by Image. Tyler Jenkins covers penciling duties while Hilary handles the coloring. Andworld Design also letters the book.
What starts out as some weird, yet basic fish-out-of-water story begins to devolve into a touching one about family, community, and finding one’s place in the world. The Jenkins’ trippy art is the perfect match for Prince’s bizarre script, as they manage to find that perfect line between surreal and nonsensical. Prince’s characters all feel believable & human too, even if they are half a deer or have their face turned upside down.
I will admit that I found the final reveal of what happened to Nowhere and why Dennis was on the outskirts of town to be fine enough, but I get why it irked so many others. It’s a YMWV kinda reveal. I think it works for me because the ending is so perfect (in my opinion), but again, different strokes for different folks.
If I had any complaints, it’d be about the main character’s past. I won’t spoil any specifics, but Dennis’ whole past with the killer armed with a nail gun is kinda lame. Based off the ending of issue 1, I thought some shit was going to go down, but he never did anything all that important and felt like he was there for no real reason.
Even with some hiccups here and there, I’d still recommend this to anyone who enjoys Prince’s other work like Ice Cream Man and HaHa, or the Jenkins’ art. This is a nifty graphic novel that has a lot more going on with it than one would initially think. It honestly feels like a super trippy Jeff Lemire story if that’ll sell you on it better. An enjoyable and easy-to-jump-into standalone comic that will appeal to those who like absurd stories with weird art.
I liked this quite a bit. W. Maxwell Prince is another writer who is quickly becoming one of my favorites as he keeps putting out quality and inventive work. This one is no different as he teams with Tyler & Hilary Jenkins for his first independent comic not published by Image. Tyler Jenkins covers penciling duties while Hilary handles the coloring. Andworld Design also letters the book.
What starts out as some weird, yet basic fish-out-of-water story begins to devolve into a touching one about family, community, and finding one’s place in the world. The Jenkins’ trippy art is the perfect match for Prince’s bizarre script, as they manage to find that perfect line between surreal and nonsensical. Prince’s characters all feel believable & human too, even if they are half a deer or have their face turned upside down.
I will admit that I found the final reveal of what happened to Nowhere and why Dennis was on the outskirts of town to be fine enough, but I get why it irked so many others. It’s a YMWV kinda reveal. I think it works for me because the ending is so perfect (in my opinion), but again, different strokes for different folks.
If I had any complaints, it’d be about the main character’s past. I won’t spoil any specifics, but Dennis’ whole past with the killer armed with a nail gun is kinda lame. Based off the ending of issue 1, I thought some shit was going to go down, but he never did anything all that important and felt like he was there for no real reason.
Even with some hiccups here and there, I’d still recommend this to anyone who enjoys Prince’s other work like Ice Cream Man and HaHa, or the Jenkins’ art. This is a nifty graphic novel that has a lot more going on with it than one would initially think. It honestly feels like a super trippy Jeff Lemire story if that’ll sell you on it better. An enjoyable and easy-to-jump-into standalone comic that will appeal to those who like absurd stories with weird art.
March 19, 2022
"He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody"--The Beatles
King of Nowhere is The Grass Kings by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins, but on acid. Both are off-the-grid world stories, with a group of isolated people. A stranger, Denis, for no apparent reason leaves his wife and baby and walks into a bar, and begins drinking with a fish named Jed.
"Anywhere i set my foot… it all goes to shit”--Denis
After bad news Nowhere Man Dens strolls into Nowhere, for some reason murders multiply. Why? Se above. Dunno. A guy with a nail gun is the bad guy, somewhat reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men. In Nowhere, a woman sheriff looks to clean up the town, she's our hero. Most of the inhabitants are like Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth world--people with antlers, the sheriff with fuzzy ears, a fish, a bird.
The town is, for no obvious reason, not Nowhere, but NOrth WeHEREk. So?
"The more you know, the less you understand"--Repeated throughout, and you know, it is kind of a theme that captures the crazy narrative.
Early on it is obvious this is an acid trip, or an alcoholic nightmare, something that is very much like Prince's The Ice Cream Man except it is drawn in Jenkins's sketchy style. Not remotely psychedelic ice cream colors. But gradually we learn that this desert location was the site for some kind of nuclear exposure--thus all the birth defects and chemical mutilati0n. But then again, all three of the main characters are alcoholics, so chemical addiction is also somehow a factor in the story, for reasons that are never really clear, but there's a lot of alcohol consumed in this volume. And no acid, except probably by Prince.
Prince is a clever writer, generally, bringing a sense of humor to his stories. At one point the outsider says he saw a deer driving out of town, and a local says, "Wait, you saw John Doe?!" Regarding the fish there are fish jokes all through. So it's mildly chaotic and sort of confusing what it is all about. I don't know why I am rating it three instead of two point five stars, exactly. Maybe because it is the first volume of a series and maybe somehow, eventually, the Purple Haze might briefly lift and we'll enter the Age of Aquarius and enlightenment.
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody"--The Beatles
King of Nowhere is The Grass Kings by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins, but on acid. Both are off-the-grid world stories, with a group of isolated people. A stranger, Denis, for no apparent reason leaves his wife and baby and walks into a bar, and begins drinking with a fish named Jed.
"Anywhere i set my foot… it all goes to shit”--Denis
After bad news Nowhere Man Dens strolls into Nowhere, for some reason murders multiply. Why? Se above. Dunno. A guy with a nail gun is the bad guy, somewhat reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men. In Nowhere, a woman sheriff looks to clean up the town, she's our hero. Most of the inhabitants are like Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth world--people with antlers, the sheriff with fuzzy ears, a fish, a bird.
The town is, for no obvious reason, not Nowhere, but NOrth WeHEREk. So?
"The more you know, the less you understand"--Repeated throughout, and you know, it is kind of a theme that captures the crazy narrative.
Early on it is obvious this is an acid trip, or an alcoholic nightmare, something that is very much like Prince's The Ice Cream Man except it is drawn in Jenkins's sketchy style. Not remotely psychedelic ice cream colors. But gradually we learn that this desert location was the site for some kind of nuclear exposure--thus all the birth defects and chemical mutilati0n. But then again, all three of the main characters are alcoholics, so chemical addiction is also somehow a factor in the story, for reasons that are never really clear, but there's a lot of alcohol consumed in this volume. And no acid, except probably by Prince.
Prince is a clever writer, generally, bringing a sense of humor to his stories. At one point the outsider says he saw a deer driving out of town, and a local says, "Wait, you saw John Doe?!" Regarding the fish there are fish jokes all through. So it's mildly chaotic and sort of confusing what it is all about. I don't know why I am rating it three instead of two point five stars, exactly. Maybe because it is the first volume of a series and maybe somehow, eventually, the Purple Haze might briefly lift and we'll enter the Age of Aquarius and enlightenment.
December 31, 2020
Conceptually, this feels a bit of a mess. There's a town full of weird people, literally weird people - half-animal people, mutant people with extra heads or limbs, etc. And everybody lives their lives, sure they've noticed the weirdness, but they just keep on truckin'. And then there is an outsider. And there's someone hunting the outsider, a psychopath killing people with a nail gun. No Country For Old Mutants.
I think it was a mistake for there to be an instigating reason why this place is like it is - it's a MacGuffin-like reason, but I'll go along with it. It makes the weird more normal. It grounds it in a way that makes it both less interesting, and more illogical.
The outsider remains a boring cypher of a character. The killer is never chilling. I'm still not sure what the point is of any of it.
I think it was a mistake for there to be an instigating reason why this place is like it is - it's a MacGuffin-like reason, but I'll go along with it. It makes the weird more normal. It grounds it in a way that makes it both less interesting, and more illogical.
The outsider remains a boring cypher of a character. The killer is never chilling. I'm still not sure what the point is of any of it.
October 9, 2022
King of Nowhere is a fleeting, disjointed adventure about a man in a mysterious world full of creatures and things normally conjured in dreams. The story isn’t bad, but it isn’t very deep either. The character designs are perhaps the biggest appeal and even they are a pretty by the numbers mishmash of animals and mutated people. The art is a bit messy, and almost looks like someone imitating Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth. Overall King of Nowhere felt a bit rushed, you get answers, but they come fast and then it ends.
September 10, 2021
Nowhere’s a small town, Dad…
Denis has been in Nowhere for days. One day he thinks he’s high... Until he realizes this is real life: A place where people, mutants, interact with him.
May 3, 2021
An intially intriguing tale, that underwhelms in the end. The artwork reflects the uncertainty inherent in the story, but it took a little getting used to by me.
2.5 Stars (rounded to 3).
2.5 Stars (rounded to 3).
April 1, 2023
Totally average in every way. From art to plot to characters to pacing. The end is very unsatisfying.
September 3, 2020
A novella that starts out as perhaps a man's fevered dream ends up being a touching story about family and community, and all the while warning people to be careful about how much they trust their government and elders.
When Denis wakes from another round of drinking he finds himself in a small town/city where people literally are not what they appear. A sheriff's deputy with cat ears, a man with two heads, an alcoholic who's body is a humanoid version of an air breathing fish. To them everything is normal, and to Denis he thinks he has fallen off the wagon and deserted his wife and newborn (which essentially he has).
This does begin as what I thought was a tale about one's man personal demons manifesting themselves during his apparent waking hours.
The reality makes this a much better story than I anticipated at the beginning, and as per usual I'm not giving away the big story shift.
When Denis wakes from another round of drinking he finds himself in a small town/city where people literally are not what they appear. A sheriff's deputy with cat ears, a man with two heads, an alcoholic who's body is a humanoid version of an air breathing fish. To them everything is normal, and to Denis he thinks he has fallen off the wagon and deserted his wife and newborn (which essentially he has).
This does begin as what I thought was a tale about one's man personal demons manifesting themselves during his apparent waking hours.
The reality makes this a much better story than I anticipated at the beginning, and as per usual I'm not giving away the big story shift.
February 10, 2021
King of Nowhere, by W. Maxwell Prince, is a action-packed, trippy little graphic novel about a man stuck in a small town called Nowhere, full of a friendly but mutated group of townspeople. Our main character is a drunk - often waking up on the wrong side of the road, and not remembering what happened to him. How did he get here? Is this a dream? And soon enough, a crazed killer roles into town looking for him, as a small town conspiracy begins to unravel...
A fun graphic novel, easy to read and interesting. The art style is the main draw here, very unique and atmospheric. The story itself is well done, but the trope of the lone man saving the day was a bit unoriginal. Not a bad graphic novel at all, but not one that truly ripped me. Even so, worth a read for anyone looking for an interesting and quick stand-alone graphic novel. W. Maxwell Prince creates some interesting content, and is always worth a look.
A fun graphic novel, easy to read and interesting. The art style is the main draw here, very unique and atmospheric. The story itself is well done, but the trope of the lone man saving the day was a bit unoriginal. Not a bad graphic novel at all, but not one that truly ripped me. Even so, worth a read for anyone looking for an interesting and quick stand-alone graphic novel. W. Maxwell Prince creates some interesting content, and is always worth a look.
April 30, 2021
It wants to be weird but never gets too crazy, it wants to be dramatic but there's never a feel for the stakes, it wants to be mysterious but the only mystery is why you bothered reading it in the first place. I think the creators had a very interesting idea but they have no clue how to make the reader care. The art is cool, I love the varied character designs, but I have no way to get attached to any of them. The dialogue is clunky and awkward, I could tell there were some jokes in the book but none of it was funny, and the more I think about what this story is trying to say the less I enjoy it.
August 12, 2022
I liked this book, but I wanted to love it.
The art by Hilary and Tyler Jenkins is just next-level stunningly beautiful. The story is interesting but concludes a little abruptly and resorts to some clichés about freedom, power of choice, autonomy, and shady government operations but without anything new to say. I liked the characters, the art, the premise, but for a book that has me desperate to love it, I was ultimately disappointed and only liked it.
The art by Hilary and Tyler Jenkins is just next-level stunningly beautiful. The story is interesting but concludes a little abruptly and resorts to some clichés about freedom, power of choice, autonomy, and shady government operations but without anything new to say. I liked the characters, the art, the premise, but for a book that has me desperate to love it, I was ultimately disappointed and only liked it.
December 13, 2020
Starts off very weird then as issues keep coming answers arrive. It reminded me of a trippy jeff lemire, (weird town conspiracy). The art is great.
May 15, 2021
Cool story, annoying art.
January 8, 2023
Such a strange story, which kept me glued to the volume, weirdly enough.
December 13, 2020
To start the review off weird, the vibes of this book could be described as the perfect intersect in a venn diagram between Welcome to Night Vale, Fables, and Rango...and honestly if that’s not what you’re looking for then this probably isn’t for you.
King of Nowhere is strange and beautiful, it kept me captivated through the whole story, even when i was confused. Also i think this is a self contained story? So that’s nice, stand-alone comics are a personal favourite of my wallet.
Denis, our main character, sucks. So if you need a likeable character, maybe skip this one, but I don’t think that’s a huge issue for most graphic novel readers, so I digress. The side characters are mostly likeable, or spooky, and the artwork on each character is really fantastic since there doesn’t seem to be any limits on what the people of Nowhere can look like.
SLIGHT SPOILERS (no major plot points just rants):
Personally i wasn’t much of a fan of the cat-cop (did she even have a name?), i feel like she could have been a really fun character but was underused and underdeveloped and only kind of randomly was scattered throughout the story to remind us that ? the sheriff had a family ? or something ? i don’t really know what her purpose was but her character was lame.
I also though Denis’s “past” that catches up with him was kinda lame, he could have had a bit more of a connection to everything than THAT, couldn’t have he? Anyway I don’t want to say anymore because of spoilers but that was a bit of a letdown. I could have probably spent a bit more time with these characters if i’m being honest, but that’s usually my complaint with anything.
King of Nowhere is strange and beautiful, it kept me captivated through the whole story, even when i was confused. Also i think this is a self contained story? So that’s nice, stand-alone comics are a personal favourite of my wallet.
Denis, our main character, sucks. So if you need a likeable character, maybe skip this one, but I don’t think that’s a huge issue for most graphic novel readers, so I digress. The side characters are mostly likeable, or spooky, and the artwork on each character is really fantastic since there doesn’t seem to be any limits on what the people of Nowhere can look like.
SLIGHT SPOILERS (no major plot points just rants):
Personally i wasn’t much of a fan of the cat-cop (did she even have a name?), i feel like she could have been a really fun character but was underused and underdeveloped and only kind of randomly was scattered throughout the story to remind us that ? the sheriff had a family ? or something ? i don’t really know what her purpose was but her character was lame.
I also though Denis’s “past” that catches up with him was kinda lame, he could have had a bit more of a connection to everything than THAT, couldn’t have he? Anyway I don’t want to say anymore because of spoilers but that was a bit of a letdown. I could have probably spent a bit more time with these characters if i’m being honest, but that’s usually my complaint with anything.
September 2, 2021
True to his trademark surreal style of comics storytelling, W. Maxwell Prince’s standalone miniseries King of Nowhere is a bizarre journey into a forgotten place where science and fantasy, dreams and reality blur together.
Check out my full review on No Flying No Tights: https://www.noflyingnotights.com/blog...
Check out my full review on No Flying No Tights: https://www.noflyingnotights.com/blog...
June 9, 2021
Well, that was.... interesting.
August 26, 2021
The narrator like text could be confusing in spots. Strange observation ... if you read a physical copy this book, the paper feels different than your typical heavy and/or glossy type.
January 2, 2024
Odd, like the art style though. And amazing how much story Prince managed to put in a 5 issue comic!
if you like surreal this is for you
if you like surreal this is for you
February 11, 2021
ALYSSA'S REVIEW:
the vibes of this book could be described as the perfect intersect in a venn diagram between Welcome to Night Vale, Fables, and Rango...and honestly if that’s not what you’re looking for then this probably isn’t for you.
King of Nowhere is strange and beautiful, it kept me captivated through the whole story, even when i was confused. Also i think this is a self contained story? So that’s nice, stand-alone comics are a personal favourite of my wallet.
Denis, our main character, sucks. So if you need a likeable character, maybe skip this one, but I don’t think that’s a huge issue for most graphic novel readers, so I digress. The side characters are mostly likeable, or spooky, and the artwork on each character is really fantastic since there doesn’t seem to be any limits on what the people of Nowhere can look like.
the vibes of this book could be described as the perfect intersect in a venn diagram between Welcome to Night Vale, Fables, and Rango...and honestly if that’s not what you’re looking for then this probably isn’t for you.
King of Nowhere is strange and beautiful, it kept me captivated through the whole story, even when i was confused. Also i think this is a self contained story? So that’s nice, stand-alone comics are a personal favourite of my wallet.
Denis, our main character, sucks. So if you need a likeable character, maybe skip this one, but I don’t think that’s a huge issue for most graphic novel readers, so I digress. The side characters are mostly likeable, or spooky, and the artwork on each character is really fantastic since there doesn’t seem to be any limits on what the people of Nowhere can look like.
August 1, 2022
The premise is interesting and intriguing, because the reader has the same information than the main character about the strange place he ends up in. We share his lack of understanding and tendency to freak out with everything that surrounds him. Once the reasons behind this situation start to be revealed, the comic becomes rather conventional. The motivations of the characters, some of which are crucial to make the story advance, are not justified at all. Fortunately, Jenkins' art is remarkable in artistic and design terms, but not so much when it comes to narrative.
January 6, 2021
Pretty basic story about redemption and creating your own family. A drunk stumbles into a town filled with mutants and humanoid animals and finds himself among fellow outcasts. The story felt rushed and would have benefited from a second or third volume to build out the world and the central conflict. The art bumped this up to three stars. The trippy watercolors and creative panel layouts supported the atmosphere where the story fell short.
April 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, the artwork was cool and the story was really engaging! I liked the characters, the designs were all very cool. The story felt very rushed and was a bit confusing at the end but overall it was really fun.
February 12, 2021
Not my thing.
June 1, 2021
Denis the menace on acid. I felt different my entire life. I think the village Nowhere is my dream town (sana cleaner).
June 14, 2021
Had some cool passages and ideas, but I just couldn't get through it. I gave up. My bad!! (Or the author's??)
March 20, 2022
Starts of nice but ends up as a sloppy plot. Not something I would pick up
November 16, 2023
-3 stars, maybe only 2. i liked the story so i kept 3 stars for that, but i *really* hated the messy artwork. it comes off as lazy with lots of mistakes. and by this i mean the characters faces didn't look the same from one panel to the next. the nose is normal in this panel, its drawn poorly and way oversized in the next, like the artist was in a huge massive hurry and couldn't be bothered to slow down and draw the face with the same proportions each time. glaring mistakes were just left that way. and i'm not talking about all the various creatures, i liked those, i'm talking about the normal human guy's face that's distorted. it just smacks of being rushed, and that irritated me. i feel like the artist should have slowed down and taken more time drawing. everything feels careless and half-finished. i can honestly say that i've never disliked a graphic novel's art like this before. usually my only complaint with artwork is that the artist changed so the characters are being drawn differently. in this one the same characters are drawn differently on every page.
collects king of nowhere # 1-5.
collects king of nowhere # 1-5.
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July 14, 2023A stranger comes to a strange town, and chaos follows in his wake - the story isn't remotely new, but at its best it can still work. Sadly, this is not its best. I think it's only the second thing I've seen from Prince which isn't some flavour of anthology, but more space to develop the story only leads to the most obvious revelations imaginable. Nor are the weirdnesses along the way really so weird - the locals have animal heads, extra appendages, the usual. As for the threat, that could hardly be duller, nor more obviously ripped off from a particular film, one with which comparison will never do the comic any favours. The one upside is precisely that it's a comic; the oddity of the townsfolk is constantly, casually in the reader's face in a way which would be clunky in prose, hell on the special effects budget on screen. And the Lemire-esque scratchy shapes and smudgy colours of the Jenkinses' art does much more than Prince's bog-standard concepts to make Nowhere strange.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews